BBC NEWS | UK | Pilot recreates Channel crossing Pilot recreates Channel crossing Advertisement French pilot recreates historic Bleriot flight A French pilot has successfully recreated the first flight across the English Channel, on the 100th anniversary of the achievement. At dawn on 25 July 1909, Frenchman Louis Bleriot created history by piloting his Bleriot XI from Sangatte, France, to Dover in England. French pilot Edmond Salis took off from Bleriot Beach on Saturday in an exact replica of his monoplane. The crossing was part of the Dover 2009 celebrations marking the centenary. Identical aeroplane Mr Salis landed on a grass airstrip just before 0900 GMT at the Duke of York's Royal Military School, close to where Mr Bleriot crash-landed after his 36-minute flight, in the shadow of Dover Castle.

Louis Bleriot was the first man to fly across the Channel Before the flight Mr Salis said: "Louis Bleriot surely asked himself the same questions as us before taking off, but there was more uncertainty then, since nobody had ever done it before him His cloth and wood monoplane, which dates from 1934, is identical to the one Bleriot flew. High winds forced the cancellation of a flight planned for later on Saturday where Swedish pilot Mikael Carlson was hoping to lead three replica Bleriot XIs across the Channel. Mr Bleriot's grandson, who is also called Louis, watched the aeroplane land. He said: "Today is a great day the anniversary of my grandfather's cross-channel flight of course -so for me, it's something that I've been waiting for for ages of course. "Not only to France, but for the world, his cross-channel flight was really the beginning of modern aviation." Mr Bleriot earned worldwide fame and a £1,000 cash prize, courtesy of the Daily Mail, for his 1909 achievement. His lightweight aircraft, with a 25 horsepower engine and made of ash, went into mass production.

The enterprising Gordon Selfridge had the Bleriot XI taken and displayed in his new department store in London. Bookmark with: Pilot marks 100th anniversary of English Channel flight | Toronto Star World Pilot marks 100th anniversary of English Channel flight A French pilot on Saturday recreated the first-ever flight across the English Channel in a monoplane like the one that Louis Bleriot flew in 1909, complete with a wooden propeller, bicycle wheels and an engine about as powerful as a lawnmower. French pilot Edmond Salis flies a replica of the original Bleriot XI, marking the first flight across the English Channel in 1909 by Louis Bleriot. (July 25, 2009) (THIBAULT VANDERMERSCH / AP PHOTO) By Nicolas GarrigaTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS Sat., July 25, 2009 CALAIS–A French pilot on Saturday recreated the first-ever flight across the English Channel in a monoplane like the one that Louis Bleriot flew in 1909, complete with a wooden propeller, bicycle wheels and an engine about as powerful as a lawnmower.

Edmond Salis took off from Bleriot Beach, near Calais on France's northern coast, at 9:13 am local time, arriving 40 minutes later in Dover. That's just slightly longer than it took Bleriot, who made his historic crossing July 25, 1909, in 38 minutes. Before the flight, Salis dismissed any fears about flying the wooden and canvas craft, which dates from 1934. "It's still an adventure. It is an old engine, it is an old motor, but it is well maintained, it works well, so there is no reason that any problem would happen," the 39-year-old pilot said. On Saturday, about 500 people – some in period costumes – were on hand in Calais to see Salis off, and five journalist-filled helicopters tracked his progress. Article Continued Below Salis' flight was one of several events, including daredevil stunts, a gala dinner and fireworks, marking Saturday's 100th anniversary of the Calais-Dover flight, which helped usher in commercial aviation.

Bleriot made his flight six years after the Wright brothers flew overland over Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and during a decade in which pioneers in Europe and North America were developing the rudiments of airplane technology and expanding its limits. Bleriot dismissed chiding and criticism – even from his mother, who declared him crazy – and poured a decade of his life and his entire fortune into his dream. With just a handful of friends and helpers, he towed his craft into the start position on a field near Calais on the night of July 25, 1909. It had a 25-horsepower motor and was baptized Bleriot XI. The wooden propeller roared. At 4:41 a.m., the 23-foot-long (7-meter) craft took off. Just 38 minutes later, Bleriot's dream became a reality: Bleriot landed in a field near Dover on the English coast, becoming the first person to fly across the English Channel. The touchdown was bumpy, and the aircraft damaged, because Bleriot had been forced to cut the engine 20 yards (meters) above the ground.

The monoplane, made famous by the Channel crossing, was commercialized with more than 800 copies made, and put into action in World War I by several air forces. Bleriot was not the sole early aviator. German Otto Lilienthal flew a few hundred yards (meters) in the 1890s, and the Wright brothers briefly lifted off with a motor-propelled craft in 1903. On May 21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh became the first man to fly solo over the Atlantic, landing at Le Bourget outside Paris. Bleriot hugged him on arrival. Lindbergh is said to have remarked that he would fly back across the Atlantic in his own aircraft, "But I wouldn't fly over the Channel in a Bleriot XI." Louis Blériot: First Fly English Channel « Centennial of the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air craft. Louis Blériot: First Fly English Channel Special Cable to The Washington Post London, July 25, 1909 — Bleriot’s own account of his exploit, which will appear in the Daily Mail tomorrow, is graphic.

He says: “It is more important to be the first to cross the channel by aeroplane than to have won the prize of 1,000 pounds. I am more than happy that I have crossed the channel. At first I promised my wife that I would not make the attempt. Then I determined that if one failed I would be the first to come, and I am here… “At 4:30 daylight had come… A light breeze from the southwest was beginning to blow. The air was clear. Everything was prepared. I was dressed in a khaki jacket lined with wool for warmth over tweed clothes and beneath my engineer’s suit of the blue cotton overalls. My close fitting cap was fastened over my head and my ears. “I had neither eaten nor drunk anything. My thoughts were only upon the flight and my determination to accomplish it this morning. At 4:35 the signal is given, and in an instant I am in the air, my engine making 1,200 revolutions, almost its highest speed, in order that I may get quickly over the telegraph wires along the edge of the cliff. As soon as I am over the cliff I reduce my speed.

There is now no need to force my engine. I begin my flight steady and sure toward the coast of England. I have no apprehensions, no sensations, pas du tout__ “I am alone. I can see nothing at all. For 10 minutes I am lost. “It is a strange position to be alone, Louis Bieriot just prior to departing Calais the morning of July 25, 1909. unguided, without a compass in the air over the middle of the channel. I touch nothing. My hands and feet rest lightly on the levers. I let the aeroplane take its own course. I care not whither it goes. For 10 minutes I continue, neither rising nor falling nor turning, and then 20 minutes after I have left the French coast I see the green hills of Dover, the castle, and away to the west the spot where I intended to land. “What can I do? It is evident that the wind has taken me out of my course. I am almost west of Margaret’s Bay, and I am going in the direction of the Goodwin Sands. Now it is time to attend to steering.

I press a lever with my foot and turn easily toward the west, reversing the direction in which I am now traveling. Now, indeed, I am in difficulties, for the wind here by the cliffs is much stronger and my speed is reduced as I fight against it, yet my beautiful aeroplane responds — “Once more I turn my aeroplane, and describing a half-circle I enter the opening and find myself again over dry land. Avoiding the red buildings on my right, I attempt a landing, but the wind catches me and whirls me around two or three times. At once I stop my motor, and instantly my machine falls upon the land from a height of 65 feet. In two or three seconds I am safe upon your shores. Soldiers in khaki run up, and a policeman and two of my compatriots are on the spot. They kiss my cheek. The conclusion of my flight overwhelms me. I have nothing to say, but accept the congratulations. “Thus ended my flight across the channel. The flight could easily be done again. Should I do it? I think not.

I have promised my wife that after a race for which I have entered I will fly no more.” Special Cable to The Washington Post London, July 25, 1909 — Louis Bleriot just prior to departing Calais the morning of July 25, 1909 Bleriot’s own account of his exploit, which will appear in the Daily Mail tomorrow, is graphic. He says: “It is more important to be the first to cross the channel by aeroplane than to have won the prize of 1,000 pounds. I am more than happy that I have crossed the channel. At first I promised my wife that I would not make the attempt. Then I determined that if one failed I would be the first to come, and I am here… “At 4:30 daylight had come… A light breeze from the southwest was beginning to blow. The air was clear. Everything was prepared. I was dressed in a khaki jacket lined with wool for warmth over tweed clothes and beneath my engineer’s suit of the blue cotton overalls. My close fitting cap was fastened over my head and my ears. “I had neither eaten nor drunk anything.

My thoughts were only upon the flight and my determination to accomplish it this morning. At 4:35 the signal is given, and in an instant I am in the air, my engine making 1,200 revolutions, almost its highest speed, in order that I may get quickly over the telegraph wires along the edge of the cliff. As soon as I am over the cliff I reduce my speed. There is now no need to force my engine. I begin my flight steady and sure toward the coast of England. I have no apprehensions, no sensations, pas du tout “I am alone. I can see nothing at all. For 10 minutes I am lost. “It is a strange position to be alone, Louis Bieriot just prior to departing Calais the morning of July 25, 1909. Unguided, without a compass in the air over the middle of the channel. I touch nothing. My hands and feet rest lightly on the levers. I let the aeroplane take its own course. I care not whither it goes.

For 10 minutes I continue, neither rising nor falling nor turning, and then 20 minutes after I have left the French coast I see the green hills of Dover, the castle, and away to the west the spot where I intended to land. “What can I do? It is evident that the wind has taken me out of my course. I am almost west of Margaret’s Bay, and I am going in the direction of the Goodwin Sands. Now it is time to attend to steering. I press a lever with my foot and turn easily toward the west, reversing the direction in which I am now traveling. Now, indeed, I am in difficulties, for the wind here by the cliffs is much stronger and my speed is reduced as I fight against it, yet my beautiful aeroplane responds — “Once more I turn my aeroplane, and describing a half-circle I enter the opening and find myself again over dry land. Avoiding the red buildings on my right, I attempt a landing, but the wind catches me and whirls me around two or three times. At once I stop my motor, and instantly my machine falls upon the land from a height of 65 feet. In two or three seconds I am safe upon your shores.

Soldiers in khaki run up, and a policeman and two of my compatriots are on the spot. They kiss my cheek. The conclusion of my flight overwhelms me. I have nothing to say, but accept the congratulations. “Thus ended my flight across the channel. The flight could easily be done again. Should I do it? I think not. I have promised my wife that after a race for which I have entered I will fly no more.” THERE ARE 44 COMMENTS FOR THIS POST POSTED BY First Fly English Channel ON August 2nd, 2009. PERMALINK Centenary of crossing English Channel On 25 July 1909, Louis Blériot was the first to pass a feat: crossing the English Channel by air. This adventure includes the field of aviation Issy, from 1907 to 1909. On the occasion of 100 years of crossing the English Channel by Louis Blériot, Plunge into this amazing story through a video interview of her grand-son (conducted on the occasion of the centenary of 1 km closed circuit) and a book . by issy92 Louis Blériot Did you know?

Louis Blériot has continued his research in aeronautics in Issy-les-Moulineaux, on the current heliport of Paris to improve his monoplane formula. Some years before his feat on 11 July 1907, at Issy, the new “mechanical bird” by Louis Blériot rises to 2m tall and flies over a thirty meter. “There is 100 years old, Louis Blériot” (in french) Il y a 100 ans, Louis Blériot A historical book of Henri Charpentier As a pioneer of aeronautics, Louis Blériot, has a special place. It is said that he broke the wood. The reputation is not false, it was, in fact, fifty fall to develop his famous Blériot XI, the winner of the Channel. But what we said less, it was one of the few designers of airplanes to have increased from 1907, flights to test himself methodically different prototypes … The City contributed to this work by tracing the performance of Louis Blériot in the territory of Issy.

Because it was between 1907 and 1909, he continued, on the field of aviation Issy-les-Moulineaux, aeronautics research to improve its formula monoplane. The entire history of this fabulous french character is to discover in this book. THERE ARE 78 COMMENTS FOR THIS POST POSTED BY First Fly English Channel ON July 27th, 2009. PERMALINK Centenary of his flight across the English Channel louis bleriot 1909 1909 was a time where the aircraft was still in diapers. Have spent a few years shy but momentous flight originating in the global aviation, led by the American brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright on December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk beach, and enthusiasts of the conquest of the sky with airplanes propelled by motors struggle to go back ever further away. Existing aircraft then have nothing to do with their successors. Machines are usually produced by its own pilots, just light frames, coated fabric, fitted with engines of very low power, low speed and limited range. They also lack the most basic tools for navigation.

But after 1909 and the Daily Mail newspaper has offered £ 1,000 over who first natural barrier that separates centuries in France United Kingdom: the English Channel. Struggling to achieve a brilliant pupil of Wilbur Wright, the aristocratic Russian ancestry French Charles de Lambert, and Hubert Latham favorite. Less obvious, but with much determination as his rivals for the challenge, competition entering Louis Blériot, a former manufacturer of automotive lanterns become builder of aircraft. Since 1900, Gallo has built and tested prototypes of their own design. The first success is achieved in October 1906 when flying between two locations in a French Blériot VIII, 40 horsepower. The offer of the British newspaper led him to design a single-engine Anzani 25 horsepower. He made a voyage to test a cross, which lasts almost 37 minutes and gives the hope of winning. The Blériot XI is ready for its creator to be the first attempt to cross the English Channel. But rivals are trying to exploit and awarded the first prize. Favorite Latham fails in his attempt when you turn off the engine of his plane and Antionette IV falls into the sea.

The aristocratic Lambert crashes during a test. Comes July 25, 1909. Louis Blériot walk with the aid of crutches due to burns suffered in a walk in one of its flight tests. Despite this disadvantage, the prevailing weather and the pleas of his wife Alice because desist, feels like its time and it invades the irrepressible desire to go back on the canal The Blériot XI off to glory at 4:35 near the port of Calais. The low wind speed confirms that the pilot is expected and the opportunity to direct his monoplane the British coast. Soon the boat leaves behind Escopette, which tries to escort Alice, foreseeing that his reckless husband might suffer an accident. Without any navigation instrument, flying at 64 kilometers per hour and 76 meters on the choppy sea, Louis determined to overcome the moving barrier is unknown. In the ten minutes was in the middle of nowhere, alone and lost “he said later. The engine is overheating of the monoplane, but the rain helps keep providential in an acceptable temperature and not fail. Spend the time and the pilot currency summits near Dover, in a mixture of excitement and concern.

We know close to achieving its purpose, but far from the planned landing site. In this vital moment, the front is intended to prevent strong winds fame. Blériot flies against him and find a clear place in the countryside where he puts his airplane, but still the air battle over and over again impossible. With determination, Louis gives rest to the 25 horsepower Anzani’s plane touches the ground and having witnessed the feat as two of his countrymen, as well as several British soldiers and a policeman. Just 36 minutes were enough to Blériot became one of the most famous pioneers of aviation. The trip on the English Channel, that July 25, 1909, marked indelibly on the future of the emerging global aviation. Contributed to multiply the efforts of designers, manufacturers and pilots to fly ever faster, higher and farther, as well as government and convince the public of the promising benefits of aviation. Is that the legacy for the posterity of Louis Blériot. That the world pays worthy tribute to the centenary of his flight across the English Channel.

Bleriot's Cross Channel Flight Available in Franï¿½aise, Espaï¿½ol, Portuguï¿½s, Deutsch, Россию, 中文, 日本, and others. Old News he following account of Louis Bleriot's flight across the English Channel appeared in the 31 July 1909 edition of Flight, an English magazine devoted to the new field of aviation. It includes information from several eyewitnesses to the historic event. M. Bleriot's great success is a fitting sequel to Mr. Latham's splendid failure; there should be no jealousy in comparison, both are working in the cause of flight. M. Bleriot reflects glory on his defeated rival at the same time that he is crowned with the laurels of victory himself. And M. Bleriot deserves his success; how much, none save those who have followed his history in flight know. There were days not long since when M. Bleriot used to tumble with his machine with almost monotonous persistency; yet he kept on, in spite of criticisms.

In those days, too, he was still trying to fly a monoplane, and monoplanes were not very popular just then, for there were not wanting critics who almost went as far as saying that they would not fly at all. M. Bleriot is the champion of the monoplane, and he has done more than anyone else to develop it. Moreover, he is engineer and pilot combined, and the machine with which he has crossed the Channel, and thereby traced his name indelibly on the pages of history, is his own machine, the work of his own brain, and if the truth were known, contains, we dare say, a good deal of his own handicraft as well. He is not only a worker, he is a sportsman, is M. Bleriot, and most thoroughly deserves every prize he has won. It is rather apt to be forgotten how very early M. Bleriot commenced his aviation experiences. As long ago as 1906 an illustration appeared in The Auto-motor Journal of May 26th, of an aeroplane which MM. Bleriot and Voisin had constructed for experimental work on Lake Enghien.

It was a curious machine that, but it has this much of especial interest, that it was designed for use over water. In the following year, 1907, M. Bleriot had built and was trying at Issy, near Paris, a monoplane which does not differ in essentials from the machine which is on view this week at Selfridge's. What mishaps he used to have in those days! Almost every other time that he succeeded in getting off the ground he returned to earth with a crash; he always broke something, but it was never himself, always did this persevering pilot seem to bear a charmed life. As a matter of fact, he used to take what precautions he could, and he himself, as we mentioned last week, attributes many of his escapes to a little trick which he had of throwing himself on to one of the wings of his flyer when he saw that a catastrophe was imminent. M. Bleriot worked on the principle that it was impossible to save both man and machine. When M.

Bleriot had advanced in the art of flight until he was easily among the two or three genuine pilots of the day, he conceived the idea of making quite a small machine, which type has since been known as his short-span flyer "No. 11." It was shown first of all at the Paris Salon at the end of last year, and attracted a very great deal of attention on account of its compact appearance. It was such a flyer as many had set their hearts upon, but as many more had deemed impracticable. No one foresaw then that this was to be the epoch-making machine with which he should fly 25 miles across country on July 17th and 31 miles across the sea on July 25th. True, the dimensions of the span are somewhat larger as the result of alterations which followed various preliminary experiments, but that it is still to all intents and purposes the same compact machine must have been apparent to all who took the unique opportunity of seeing it at Dover or during the past few days in London at the Selfridge showrooms. By his two great flights across country and across the Channel M. Bleriot has set the seal of success upon the monoplane principle.

His achievements are another huge step in the ''coming of the monoplane," about which we had occasion to speak at some length in our issue of June 12th, when Mr. Latham had been making some record flights with a machine of the same class. It is an advance, but it does not alter the problem; the monoplane is still by way of being the racer of the air. M. Bleriot took roughly 40 minutes to cross the Channel, his speed being in the region of 45 miles an hour average, and according to his own account was nearer 50 miles an hour shortly after the start. That is a speed which only a limited number of pilots can be expected to feel safe at in their early experiments. Safety lies in speed, there is much reason to believe, but that is a different kind of safety, and is hardly in the reckoning if the pilot himself is not at home in the air under such conditions. M.

Bleriot is now a master of the upper element, but he worked hard for his degree; on no occasion has his knowledge and skill stood him in better stead than during his Channel flight, for there he met with difficulties which must surely have brought a less experienced pilot to sad grief. Even at the start there was, according to M. Bleriot's own estimate, a 10-knot wind; while, off Dover, the breeze was double this velocity, and the cliff currents particularly strong. In mid-Channel the wind had dropped, but at the moment of landing it was blowing in all directions. The Story of the Flight It was almost without warning, but nevertheless with a send-off on the French shore from an enthusiastic crowd, that M. Bleriot flew across the Straits of Dover from Les Baraques, near Calais, to Northfall Meadow at Dover on Sunday, July 25th, thereby incidentally winning the Daily Mall ï¿½1,000 prize. Taking the week-end as a whole, it has been one of the windiest periods of a particularly unsettled summer, and the previous day had in particular seemed hopeless for any cross-Channel flight.

Half a gale had indeed been blowing and a heavy sea running only a few hours before, and hence it is hardly to be wondered at that the feat was as totally unexpected as it was. When this greatest of all great events in the annals of modern history was taking place the world and his wife were mostly abed, especially this side of the Channel. But M. Bleriot had got up at half-past two in the morning, not feeling very well, had taken a short motor run just to blow the cobwebs away, and that was why he was able to snatch the one brief fine moment that presented itself between the daytime storms of Saturday and Sunday. Seeing that the fates were propitious, he then lost little time in bringing out the flyer, and in spite of his injured foot he quickly carried out a practice flight over the sand-hills between Les Baraques and Sangatte. A little earlier, too, he had notified his intention to start to the destroyer "Escopette," which was consequently at that time standing out to sea, with Madame Bleriot and others already aboardï¿½all anxiously on the look-out for him.

Finding everything working properly with his machine, he speedily effected a fresh start, this time flying straight away over the cliffs and heading towards England. That was at about twenty minutes to five (French time) and it was about twenty minutes past five (also French time) that he landed at Dover. Accounts differ as to the exact moment of departure and descent, and as a matter of fact it is doubtful if any reliable timing was made since M. Bleriot started without a watch as well as without a compass. The distance of the flight was about 31 miles, and hence the speed was in the region of 45 miles an hour. During the crossing he flew at an altitude of 150 ft. to 300 ft., and thus kept much nearer the water than Mr. Latham did on his attempt. M. Bleriot's monoplane quickly outstripped the torpedo-beat destroyer "Escopette," with which the French Government replaced the "Harpon," that was on duty during Mr. Latham's attempt. In mid-Channel M.

Bleriot lost sight of land and of his escort for a very uncomfortably long periodï¿½estimated by him to have been ten minutesï¿½and was entirely without means of ascertaining his proper direction. In the circumstances he did the only thing possible, which was to keep straight on, and fortune favouring him, he sighted the English shore off Deal while heading for St. Margaret's Bay. Turning along the coast M. Bleriot flew towards Dover, and put in at a gap in the cliffs where a representative of Le Matin, M. Fontaine, was signaling to him with a tricolour flag. The site on which the landing was accomplished was the Northfall Meadow. Although the arrival was noticed from afar by several, and M. Fontaine was on the chosen part of the cliff at Dover, yet even he failed to see the real landing, and P.C. Stanford was the only eye-witness of this great historic event, the landing on British soil of the first flyer to cross the Channel. The actual contact with terra-firma was rather abrupt; in fact, not only was the propeller broken, but that part of the framework which carries the engine was also damaged.

Mishaps of this sort, however, are absolutely negligible by comparison with the success of the main issue. Bleriot had crossed the Channel, had won the Daily Mail prize, and was none the worse for it, nor in all probability would his machine have been damaged had he been familiar with the site on which he was forced to alight. Heard Afar Off One of the most interesting minor points associated with M. Bleriot's cross-Channel flight, is the manner in which at Dover he was heard afar off by the very few people who happened to be about at the time. The whirring of the motor (doubtless chiefly due to the open exhaust) was quite distinctly audible, according to more than one eye-witness, even while the flyer itself was a mere speck in the distance. The night watchman on the Promenade Pier, in relating his account of the proceedings to the Daily Telegraph, says : " I suddenly saw a peculiar object away to the eastward, moving very rapidly across the sky.

As it came closer I could hear the whirring of the motor, and I judged that it was one of the flying men who had made a start and had practically got across." The chief officer of the Coastguard Station similarly relates that he could hear "a continual buzzing when the machine was several miles away." Looked Like a Bird Next to the noise of the engine it was the high speed and bird-like appearance of the flyer which principally attracted the attention of those few who were privileged to witness its arrival in England. "The speed was almost incredible," said the chief officer of the Coastguard Station, and certainly the sight of a monoplane coming out of the distance through the air at forty miles an hour or so might be well calculated to appeal to the imagination even of one who's life duty it is to watch all that goes on in the Channel. M. Bleriot's Last Flight According to several reports M. Bleriot has definitely stated that he will give up flying after he has taken part in the Rheims races. Cherchez la femme of course, but who shall grudge Madame Bleriot her voice in the matter, now that her husband has done so much.

Besides, although only 36, he has five children to think of, and there is after all some risk attached to the game which even M. Bleriot's phenomenal good luck might not for ever tide over. Let us, at least, wish him every success and all good fortune inï¿½if it should prove to beï¿½ his last flight. It is nevertheless now said that, upon more mature thought, Madame Bleriot has since then withdrawn her embargo, so we may still hope to see M. Bleriot soar to even greater achievements. Lost in Mid-Channel It must have been a unique experience when M. Bleriot lost himself in mid-Channel, and it can hardly have been without a tremor that he realized himself absolutely "at sea,ï¿½ although only 10 minutes, as to which way to go. It was a phase of the Channel flight which a good many people had anticipated and against which the more or less elaborate precautions that were proposed in the way of motor boats, &c, were in part to guard.

That the first pilot should actually find himself in this predicament, no one of course expected, for most people naturally believed that no one would make the attempt without taking many precautions. To this extent M. Bleriot's flight may possibly be regarded as somewhat foolhardy, and the fact that he so quickly outpaced his convoy the destroyer, certainly rendered his position extremely hazardous had any accident happened; M. Bleriot himself admits as much. But fortune favoured him so that he kept his course. Speaking about his experience, M. Bleriot makes the curious remark that during the time when he was out of sight of land and other definite objects he "felt as if he was not moving." The Commercial Side Naturally enough M. Bleriot's success will give a trememdous impetus to his own aeroplane business, quite apart from the enormous lift which the entire industry, at home as abroad, will receive from his epoch-making exploit. Even as it is he has sold 15 of his machines since he started to take orders for them only a short time ago. He has also secured the monopoly of the Anzani engine which performed so well, and upon which so much of the success of the flight depended that, next to M.

Bleriot, M. Anzani has naturally come in for much of the credit attached to this great historic flight. Chevalier Bleriot M. Bleriot arrived in Dover clothed in a cork jacket and overalls, and the more orthodox garments in which he subsequently appeared were on loan from Mr. Hart O. Bergï¿½the European concessionaire of the Wright aeroplane, who happened to be staying at the Lord Warden Hotel. Mr. Hart O. Berg is a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour and his coat was decorated with the ribbon, which M. Bleriot desired to remove. Mr. Hart O. Berg remonstrated with him, however, saying that he was sure to have the right to the ribbon himself before long, and sure enough during breakfast came a telegram from France saying the Government had already conferred the honour. Half Share with Latham With sportmanlike generosity M. Bleriot offered to share the ï¿½1,000 Daily Mail prize with Mr. Latham if his rival should succeed in making the crossing during Sunday. But as Mr. Latham remained on the French coast M.

Bleriot was not called upon to put his offer into effect. The Flyer in London Motoring in the vicinity of Dover, Mr. Gordon Selfridge, one of the heads of the great Oxford Street emporium, heard of the successful flight, and making his way to where the machine was surrounded by a crowd of spectators, he there and then arranged with the Daily Mail to have the flyer on view in his own showrooms in Oxford Street for the London public to see, and agreed to pay the sum of ï¿½200 to the London Hospitalï¿½an institution selected by the Dally Mailï¿½for the privilege accorded. By this smart action on the part of a businesslike man, M. Bleriot's aeroplane was not only brought to London, but was actually on view by 10 o'clock on Monday morning, huge crowds flocking in from the earliest moment to avail themselves of the unique opportunity of inspecting its details. During the first three days of the week the stream of sightseers was constant, so much so that Messrs.

Selfridge arranged to keep the monoplane for a further twenty-four hours, and, to enable as many as possible to see it, kept the part of their premises in which the machine was housed open until midnight on Thursday. Bleriot and the Customs The Customs officers, who were among the very few actual spectators of the arrival of M. Bleriot on the English coast, were very properly among the first to accost the pilot after his unconventional descent on British soil. With fitting forbearance, however, they recognized that it was only "one of those flying-men," and therefore made no attempt at an inspection for contraband. Sixpence Admission After the initial excitement had somewhat abated, a tent was erected as a temporary housing for Bleriot's flyer, and, in aid of local charity, a fee of sixpence was charged for the admission of the public, who hastened up in numbers to see the machine which had thus come so strangely in their midst. The Prize and its Presentation By crossing the Channel M.

Bleriot had gained the ï¿½1,000 which the Daily Mall put up for this event, and the presentation of the cheque took place in the Savoy Hotel on Monday afternoon of this week. The gathering at the luncheon which preceded the formality was as notable as the occasion itself; among those present who supported Lord Northcliffe at the reception being the Right Hon. R. B. Haldane, Sir Edward Ward, Sir Thomas Lipton, Bart., Sir Horace Regnart, Bart., Sir Arthur Paget, Sir John Barker, Sir Francis Trippel, Sir Vezey Strong, Sir Thomas Dewa1-, Major Baden-Powell, Col. Capper, Capt. Jessel, Lieut. Shackleton, Hon. C. S. Rolls, Hon. Charles Russell, Mr. Roger Wallace, Mr. Frank Butler, Dr. R. T. Glazebrook, Mr. Moberly Bell, Mr. St. John Hornby, Mr. Kennedy Jones, Mr. Hugh Spottiswoode, Mr. Harold Perrin, Mr. H. Gordon Selfridge and Mr. George R. Sims.

Altogether there must have been nearly 150 people present, and there were certainly as many more outside waking for an opportunity to cheer Mons. and Madame Bleriot, who were both happily able to be present. Lord Northcliffe first of all made the announcement that the Aero Club of the United Kingdom had decided to present M. Bleriot with its Gold Medal, and then he presented M. Bleriot with a large silver rose-bowl on behalf of the British representatives of the Bleriot firm. The final proceeding was to present the Daily Mail prize of ï¿½1,000 in two ï¿½500 notes which were contained in a letter-case enclosed in a handsome silver cup. In his speech Lord Northcliffe paid very proper tribute to M. Bleriot's achievement, and incidentally took the opportunity of drawing attention to Lieut. Shackleton's presence among the guests, saying how pleasant it was that they were thus able to entertain at one and the same time such typical heroes of the respective countries. According to Lord Northcliffe, almost all good things had, like M.

Bleriot, first "come out of France,"for so many of the leading modern inventions had been due to the work of Frenchmen.ï¿½ In making the actual presentation, Lord Northcliffe concluded his remarks with a short speech of congratulation in French. M. Bleriot, in reply, spoke a few sentences characteristic of his modest personality, in which he attempted to belittle his successful effort. But in that, needless to say, his words carried no conviction to the enthusiastic assembly. The Wireless Story Although less exhaustive in its detail as compared with the wireless messages exchanged between Sangatte and Dover on the occasion of Mr. Latham's attempt, the following brief record is of historic interest:ï¿½ Calais, by Marconi Wireless, via Dover. 4.36.ï¿½Bleriot has started; look out for him. We saw him at 4.35. He started from Les Baraques. 4.40.ï¿½He is nearly half way across. 4 47.ï¿½He has outdistanced the boat. 4.50.ï¿½He is out of sight of French coast.

4.56.ï¿½Destroyers are now out of sight and far behind. 4.59.ï¿½Bleriot flew with perfect steadiness till out of our sight, not very high above the water. 5:00.ï¿½Let us know as soon as you see him. From the Dover side, unfortunately, the wireless operators entirely failed to locate Bleriot during his flight, although the torpedo boat was first sighted by them at 5.06 a.m., and its movements recorded every few minutes. Not until 5.31 a.m. had the rumour of Bleriot's landing at 5.20 a.m. reached them, to be finally confirmed by wireless to Calais at 5.52 a.m. Celebrating the Occasion Other more or less important and pleasing functions which have marked the greatness of M.

Bleriot's feat have included a civic reception at Dover on Monday morning, when the hero of the hour was on his way to be lionized in London, a dinner given in his honour that evening by the well-known Bleriot Lamp Company of London, a reception by the management at the Empire Theatre later the same evening when animated pictures were shown typical of the aerial trip across the Channel, and, by no means least, the dinner given by the Aero Club at the Ritz Hotel on Tuesday, when their Gold Medal was presented. Also it is significant to observe that a moveï¿½ment is already on foot to erect a commemoration column at Dover on the spot where M. Bleriot alighted. M. Bleriot in Paris When M. Bleriot and his wife arrived in Paris on Wednesday afternoon, they were greeted by a surging crowd of people who simply swamped the extra force of police which had been detailed to keep the road clear. As soon as the train steamed into the station the crowd surrounded the carriage in which M. Bleriot and his party were, and they had great difficulty in fighting their way to the spot where M.

Barthou and the deputation of the members of the Aero Club of France were waiting to receive them. All along the four miles which separates the North Station from the Aero Club house, the streets were lined with cheering people, and every vantage point had its occupant who waved a flag or a handkerchief. On arrival at the Aero Club, the guests were welcomed by the President, Comte de la Vaulx, who presented M. Bleriot with the Club's special Gold Medal. Later in the day, M. Bleriot was presented by his workmen with an objet d'art, entitled Le Cri de la Victoire, executed by M. D. Grisand. Bleriot Monoplane Fabric and Fittings It is of interest to notice that the material of which the planes of M. Bleriot's monoplanes were made was Continental aeroplane sheeting, which is used on many of the most successful flying machines of to-day. Another point of interest is that the Bowden wire mechanism was used by M. Bleriot for the control of the Anzani motor on his flyer.

Faked Cross-Channel Photos In the interests of historic accuracy it is very important to publish a warning against many of the extremely clever but totally imaginative photographs of M. Bleriot's cross-Channel flight that have appeared in various papers during the week. For our own part we have exercised the greatest care in accepting any of the dozens of photographs that have been offered to us, and have studiously rejected all those which are obviously "fakes." In days to come, those looking back upon the present records may well be misled by some of the photographs in question, and even their absence from our own columns may fail to afford the necessary clue. As a matter of fact, no known photographs were obtained of M. Bleriot's flight while he was still in mid-air, in any case, subsequent to the time that he passed above the French torpedo boat. Media Aviation history - Louis Blériot's flight across the English Channel On 25 July 1909, Louis Blériot became the first person to cross the English Channel in a airplane. Fred Marsh, from the Royal Aero Club, explains the importance and the impact of Blériot's historic achievement.

The Blériot Type Xl was the most famous and successful of several classic airplanes that emerged during the miraculous summer of 1909, when all of Europe seemed to be taking to the sky. Louis Blériot, a French engineer and manufacturer of automobile head lamps, had first become interested in aeronautics in 1901-2, when he constructed an experimental ornithopter. During the next eight years he moved through a series of ten distinct aircraft designs, only one of which was capable of making a flight of more than ten minutes. His next effort, the Type Xl, primarily designed by engineer Raymond Saulnier, was first flown at Issy-les-Moulineaux on January 23, 1909. During this time, Lord Alfred Northcliffe, owner of the Daily Mail Newspaper in London England, ovffered a prize of 1,000 English Pounds to the first person who would fly across the English Channel.

Bleriot achieved immortality on July 25, 1909, when he became the first person ever to fly across the channel, covering the 40 kilometers (32 miles) between Calais Fance and Dover England in 36 minutes, 30 seconds. In the wake of the Channel flight, Blériot received the first of many orders for the Type Xl monoplane. Variants of the original 1909 machine, produced by the Blériot firm, foreign licensees, and enthusiastic amateur builders in Europe and America, were a dominant force in aeronautics before World War I. Our Bleriot Type XI was produced later on and flew on the West Coast. It was restored in the early 1980’s with an 80 hp Continental engine in place of the rare Anzani engine. The Bleriot enjoys only brief hops through the year as its speed and range prevent it from venturing far from its home base. footer.php The Collings Foundation The Collings Foundation is a non-profit, Educational Foundation (501c-3), founded in 1979.

The purpose of the Foundation is to organize and support "living history" events that enable Americans to learn more about their heritage through direct participation. Contact Information Louis Blériot : The first flight across the English Channel in a heavier than air aircraft. - YouTube Louis Blériot : The first flight across the English Channel in a heavier than air aircraft. Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Sep 22, 2014 The Blériot Memorial, the outline of the aircraft laid out in granite setts in the turf, marks his landing spot above the cliffs near Dover Castle. More Info below if you wish to know more. Part of the Freedom Network. If you would like to join Freedom : Music: More Info : The Daily Mail prize was first announced in October 1908, with a prize of £500 being offered for a flight made before the end of the year.

When 1908 passed with no serious attempt being made, the prize money was doubled to £1,000 and the offer extended to the end of 1909. Like some of the other prizes offered by the paper, it was widely seen as nothing more than a way to gain cheap publicity: the Paris newspaper Le Matin commenting that there was no chance of the prize being won. The English Channel had been crossed by an unmanned hydrogen balloon in 1784 and a manned crossing by Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries followed in 1785. Blériot had three rivals for the prize, the most serious being Hubert Latham, a French national of English extraction flying an Antoinette IV monoplane. He was favoured by both the United Kingdom and France to win. The others were Charles de Lambert, a Russian aristocrat with French ancestry, and one of Wilbur Wright's pupils, and Arthur Seymour, an Englishman who reputedly owned a Voisin biplane. De Lambert got as far as establishing a base at Wissant, near Calais, but Seymour did nothing beyond submitting his entry to the Daily Mail.

Lord Northcliffe, who had befriended Wilbur Wright during his sensational 1908 public demonstrations in France, had offered the prize hoping that Wilbur would win. Wilbur wanted to make an attempt and cabled brother Orville in the USA. Orville, then recuperating from serious injuries sustained in a crash, replied telling him not to make the Channel attempt until he could come to France and assist. Also Wilbur had already amassed a fortune in prize money for altitude and duration flights and had secured sales contracts for the Wright Flyer with the French, Italians, British and Germans: his tour in Europe was essentially complete by the summer of 1909. Both brothers saw the Channel attempt of only a thousand pounds as insignificant considering the dangers of the flight. At 4:15 am on the 25 July 1909, watched by an excited crowd, Blériot made a short trial flight and then, on a signal that the sun had risen (the competition rules required a flight between sunrise and sunset), he took off at 4:41 for the attempted crossing.

Flying at approximately 45 mph (72 km/h) and an altitude of about 250 ft (76 m), he set off across the Channel. Not having a compass, Blériot took his course from the Escopette, which was heading for Dover, but he soon overtook the ship. The visibility had deteriorated and he later said, “for more than 10 minutes I was alone, isolated, lost in the midst of the immense sea, and I did not see anything on the horizon or a single ship”. The grey line of the English coast, however, came into sight in his left; the wind had increased, and had blown him to the east of his intended course. Altering course, he followed the line of the coast about a mile offshore until he spotted Charles Fontaine, the correspondent from Le Matin waving a large Tricolour as a signal. Unlike Latham, Blériot had not visited Dover to find a suitable spot to land, and the choice had been made by Fontaine, who had selected a patch of gently sloping land called Northfall Meadow, close to Dover Castle, where there was a low point in the cliffs.

Once over land, he circled twice to lose height, and cut his engine at an altitude of about 20 m (66 ft), making a heavy "pancake" landing due to the gusty wind conditions; the undercarriage was damaged and one blade of the propeller was shattered, but Blériot was unhurt. The flight had taken 36 minutes and 30 seconds. Category Two electric planes just made history by flying over the English Channel | Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building Two electric planes just made history by flying over the English Channel View Slideshow The quest for zero-fuel transportation options is a competitive one, with innovators in various countries racing to be the first at any number of landmark achievements. This morning, not one but two electric planes successfully flew across the English Channel , making it quite a historic day for clean energy. First, a French pilot navigated a single-passenger electric airplane from France to England and back, securing a ‘first’ for battery-powered flight. Hours later, Airbus launched an electric plane from England to travel a similar flight path and that plane landed safely in France to complete its one-way trip across the Channel.

The Airbus e-Fan is a 1,300-lb, 20-foot-long aircraft that was piloted by Didier Esteyne from Lydd, England, to the French port of Calais. That journey follows the same flight path used by French pilot Louis Bleriot in 1909 when he made history as the first person to fly a plane across the English Channel. The e-Fan first took flight in 2014 and has been in the air quite a bit in preparation for this water crossing, taking off over 100 times since the plane flew at the Paris Air Show in June. Airbus wants to put the two-seater on the market in 2017 for use in training facilities to teach new pilots how to fly. Related: Fully electric e-Fan completes its maiden flight in France It’s unclear at this time whether the Airbus team was aware when Esteyne took off that a French pilot named Hugues Duval had, 12 hours prior, completed the round-trip flight across the English Channel in a similar aircraft.

Duval’s two-engine Cricri plane seats just one person, and he piloted the electric plane from Calais to Dover and back. Duval admitted to the Associated Press that his plane didn’t have authorization to take off from Calais, so a fuel-driven plane towed his aircraft for the start of the journey. He says he completed the rest of the trip autonomously. It’s not known whether this tow-start will have an impact on Duval’s claim to the record first. Both of the electric planes that crossed the Channel are battery-powered. Without fuel or water, the planes produce zero emissions, making them completely carbon neutral. Although these aircrafts are experimental models and small in size, engineering researchers are looking to scale up and eventually make a 100-seater capable of making the same journey. Meanwhile, the team behind the solar-powered zero-fuel Solar Impulse 2 is kicking back in Hawaii, celebrating after a successful trans-Pacific journey without using a single drop of fossil fuels. The experimental aircraft will remain in Hawaii until conditions are ideal for embarking on the second half of its round-the-world flight, powered entirely by the sun.

Its electric battery-powered counterparts will have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to chasing SI2’s world records, but at least the electric planes don’t get grounded for weeks on end because of a few clouds. Aviation history - Louis Blériot's flight across the English Channel - YouTube Aviation history - Louis Blériot's flight across the English Channel Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Jan 20, 2011 On 25 July 1909, Louis Blériot became the first person to cross the English Channel in a airplane. Fred Marsh, from the Royal Aero Club, explains the importance and the impact of Blériot's historic achievement. Category

Question: Who piloted the first flight across the English channel in 1909?
Answer: Louis Bleriot